Just adding more information for people.The key to chopping ice is a pike.Has no chisel head but goes down to a pointed end.Once you get down thru the ice with the chisel it is amazing how fast you can then go the rest of the way using a pick.The pick is much quicker as you can break off huge chunks of ice with each hit.I even tryed a chain saw myself but it was slower.Another thing to save time and energy is only chopping and taking the ice out of where your actual conibear is and just shoving the fencing down thru the chopped up ice.

Two inventions out of Canada in the mid 50's revolutionized beaver trapping in the north.=The snowmachine,and the conibear.

Meanwhile, back at the lodge. I got bored and figured I might as well check my sets. Nothing, but the water cleared up enough to see bottom and I landed right on a run. I'm going to go back in tomorrow morning and set the mouth of the stream feeding the pond. Pic below.

The first sets I ever made for beaver were chopped with a spud through a lot of ice near Talkeetna, Alaska around 83 or 84. I like the chainsaw. I appreciate all of the input.

They wont be using that stream now...

Unusual to have a house with beaver in and no feed pile
mt

I don't know they're stashing their feed, nothing sticking out of the ice anywhere. I thought I might make a set near the mouth of the stream where it enters the pond. Rally mentioned out in the middle. I'll keep punching holes and see what happens.

I'm making trap chairs/platforms out of square steel tubing. I hate fabricating chairs on site. Slow and cold. I'll post some pics once they are welded up.

Are you using #14 jumps?If so just make a cut into the pole and tap the end of the spring into the pole instead of building a platform.

I have just one #14, Bruce. I'm going to set it just as you suggested but I need to lengthen the chain before I do. The platforms are for 750s.